Submit your Article

Ramesh Kshitij is a Nepali poet, lyricist, and writer who is known for his poetry collections. ‘Arko Saanjh Parkhera Saanjhma’, ‘Ghar Farkiraheko Manis’ and ‘Parbat Parbatma Batuwa Gham’ are some of his notable works. He has also written lyrics for several songs sung by some renowned singers of Nepal, and has published a song collection called ‘Aafai Aafno Sathi Bhaye’. Babita Shrestha from ApEx talked to Kshitij about his interest in poetry, literature, and writing. How did you start writing? I was born in Salyan but raised in Dang. As a child, I loved reading books, listening to music and the radio. I also experimented with various writing techniques and took part in literature-related activities at school. So writing came naturally to me. But it’s the environment that I grew up in that made me realize that. The society I lived in had a diverse tradition and a rich cultural heritage and that gave me a lot of ideas on what to write. I think what piqued my interest in literature was my hometown’s rich cultural and natural heritage. What do you mostly work on? I’ve spent most of my time working on poems but recently I’ve also been focusing on story manuscripts. I prefer to write pastoral, philosophical, and spiritual poems with symbols and imagery. I often concentrate on life’s philosophy and my perspective on the world itself. I’ve worked on subjects closely related to society, religion, and philosophical thoughts. Additionally, I enjoy reading contemporary poems as well as classics by Lekhnath Paudyal (poet) and other prominent senior writers. That has also had an influence on what and how I write. How would you describe your poetry? Poetry is different from other forms of literature. It resembles originality, opinion, art, creativity and symbolism. When you write in your own style, poems become attractive. My poetry is more allegorical, according to critics who have read them. I release a new collection every ten years. I don’t write often, but when I do, I attempt to incorporate all the personal, societal, and nationwide issues I’ve witnessed in that decade. I like to explore the meaning of life from as many angles as possible. What’s the role of poetry in contemporary society? Poetry plays a significant role in our society. For many, it can work like meditation. It can provide a sense of inner peace. Now, in our world, the rise of digital technology is making us over reliant on machines. The world is plagued with isolation and loneliness. For instance, in the early days people used to live in communal houses but now there are many nuclear families. The advancement of AI has deteriorated creativity. I think in today’s alienating society, poetry can be a useful companion. Is there anything you want your readers to know about your work?  The world of poetry is vast. Individual feelings aren’t always at play. Sometimes a poet will discover other poets in his own work. If I’m writing on philosophy, I might express my personal viewpoint or write in accordance with how society around me is evolving. It automatically makes me happier when I discover that my work has been a friend to even one of my readers. It’s a feeling of content I get when my work motivates them to be more positive about their surroundings. To my reader, I want to make a promise that I will uphold this relevance all the way till the end and grant them the companionship they seek through my work. What recommendation do you have for someone who is aspiring to be a poet? I’d like to share some things that can assist them with discovering their writing abilities rather than making recommendations. I believe it will be beneficial for writers if they study relevant literature in which they are interested in. For me, they were ‘Tarun Tapasi’ by Lekhnath Paudyal, ‘Living with the Himalayan Masters,’ by Swami Rama, and ‘Yogi ko Aatmakatha’ by Paramahansa Yogananda. They are great writings that I think everyone should read. Keep writing with no boundaries because it will help you discover your inner self. Be persistent in your efforts. We all face obstacles, so keep calm and think about the efforts you’ve been putting in. When you recall your work decades later, the struggle and dedication will all seem worthwhile. Kshitij’s picks Tarun Tapasi by Lekhnath Paudyal Tarun Tapasi by Lekhnath Paudyal was published in 1953. The epic is divided into 19 cantos and is written in shikharini chhanda. Living with the Himalayan Masters by Swami Rama In this autobiographical book, Swami Rama talks about his journey through the Himalayan passes and meeting with various sages and yogis of different sects and branches. Yogi ko Aatmakatha by Paramahansa Yogananda This book is an autobiography of Paramahansa Yogananda published in 1946. It’s about his life and his encounters with spiritual figures of the Eastern and the Western world.

Newly elected lawmaker Janata Samajbadi Party Chairman Upendra Yadav took oath of office and secrecy on Tuesday. Speaker Deveraj Ghimire administered the oath of office and secrecy to Yadav amidst a program organized in Singha Durbar this afternoon. After the sworn in ceremony, Yadav said that the government’s stability is necessary to take the country ahead. He said that the Janata Samajbadi Party will send its representatives to the government soon. Yadav was of the opinion that the country should be taken towards the path of development and prosperity by forging national consensus among the parties. He was elected as the lawmaker from Bara-2 in the by-election held on April 23.  

A fire broke out at the District Administration Office in Sarlahi on Tuesday. The fire that broke out due to an electric short circuit destroyed a computer, a printer and a scanner among others. The District Administration Office said that the incident occurred at around 5:30 am today. The fire was taken under control with the help of security personnel and office staffers backed by a fire engine. Following the incident, the service has been closed until further notice.  

The Securities Board of Nepal (Sebon) has issued Letters of Intent (LOIs) for the license of securities traders (securities brokers and securities dealers) to 16 brokerage firms. According to Sebon Spokesperson Muktinath Shrestha, 16 of the 45 companies that applied for the license were issued LoIs as decided by the Sebon board meeting on Monday. “The board issued LoI to 16 firms after the completion of the evaluation of their applications,” said Shrestha. The firms that have received the LOI will get the license after they ready their infrastructure as prescribed by the Sebon. The board has issued LoI to subsidiary companies of seven commercial banks - Nabil Bank, Nepal Investment Mega Bank, Citizens Bank, Kumari Bank, NMB Bank, Rastriya Banijya Bank and Sanima Bank to operate stock brokerage transactions. Among them, Nabil Bank has received an LOI in the name of Nabil Securities Limited to work as a securities dealer. Similarly, Himalayan Brokerage Company, Index Securities, Sun Securities, Capital Max Securities, Bhole Ganesh Securities, Infinity Securities, Akash Bhairav Securities, SPSS Securities and Elite Stock House have also been issued LoI for brokerage transactions. This is the first time in over a decade that Sebon is going to issue stock broking licenses. Meanwhile, Sebon has formed an evaluation committee for the issuance of licenses for commodities exchanges. The five-member committee is headed by Phanindra Gautam, Joint Secretary at Ministry of Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs and has Ritesh Kumar Shakya, Joint Secretary at Ministry of Finance, Mukunda Kumar Chhetri, Executive Director at Nepal Rastra Bank, Muktinath Shrestha, Executive Director at Sebon, and Deepa Dahal, Deputy Executive Director at Sebon as members. Sebon is preparing to evaluate the applications of four companies for commodities exchange licenses. Nepal Multi Commodities Exchange, Himalayan Commodities and Derivative Exchange, Multi Derivative Exchange, and Multi Assets and Derivative Exchange have applied for the license. Sebon plans to issue licenses for two commodities exchanges.  

Thanks to the proliferation of banks and financial institutions (BFIs) in the country, the use of formal channels for financial services has increased tremendously over the last decade. The new report titled "Nepal Financial Inclusion Report 2023" published jointly by International Finance Corporation (IFC) and United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) shows 90 percent of Nepali adults use formal financial services. With the countrywide expansion of BFIs as well as microfinance institutions, the use of informal channels for financial transactions has gone down significantly. According to the report, only 4 percent of adults use informal channels. The report says the percentage of adults who use formal financial services (from banks and other formal providers) has increased from 61 percent in 2014 to 90 percent in 2022. Of them, 81 percent use banking services while 9 percent use other formal financial services. In 2014, 40 percent used banks, and 21 percent used other formal channels. "The uptake of overall formal financial services has been largely driven by both banking and insurance sector service expansion across the country under the new federal structure, and the uptake of digital financial services amidst the growing mobile and internet penetration," reads the report. The usage of formal financial services has significantly risen not only for the urban population but also for the rural population as well. In rural areas, the use of formal financial services increased to 88 percent in 2022 from 58 percent in 2014. Of the rural population having access to formal financial services, 77 percent use banking services while 11 percent use other formal financial services. The report, however, said the urban/rural divide still persists as only 50 percent of adults from rural areas have an account at a financial institution, whereas 60 percent of urban adults have bank accounts. The concentrated and mandatory branch expansion of bank branches in all the local levels including the ones in the rural areas under the new federal structure, distribution of social benefits via bank accounts, and cohesive efforts from both the local level governments and the private sector to drive financial services are some of the determining factors increasing the access of formal financial services in the rural areas. According to the report, the gender gap has also significantly narrowed. In 2022, 89 percent of women and 90 percent of men have access to formal financial services (bank and other formal), which was only 57 percent and 64 percent respectively in 2014. However, there is still a gap in the usage of banking services between male and female adults, with 83 percent of men using banking services compared to 79 percent of women. In terms of account ownership, 50 percent of women and 56 percent of men have an account at a financial institution. The growth and the narrowing of the gender gap can be primarily attributed to gender-balanced regulations, financial inclusion drive by all three tiers of governments, i.e., local, provincial, and federal governments, as well as government-supported access programs such as concessional loans targeted towards women. Access to formal financial services is highest in Gandaki Province at 96 percent, followed by Bagmati Province at 91 percent. Province 1 and Karnali Province have the lowest usage with 87 percent. Gandaki Province has the highest percentage of adults with access to formal savings at 73 percent followed by Sudurpaschim (69 percent) and Bagmati Province (66 percent). In Gandaki Province, 42 percent have bank savings while 31 percent save at other formal institutions. In terms of payments, Gandaki Province (85 percent) has the highest usage of banking channels for payment services followed by Sudurpaschim Province (83 percent) and Bagmati Province (77 percent) respectively.

An arrest warrant has been issued against Niraj Rai, son of Indrajit Rai, for his alleged involvement in sending Nepalis to the United States in the guise of Bhutanese refugees. Sita Ram Rijal, spokesperson at the District Police Range, Kathmandu, confirmed that an arrest warrant has been issued against Niraj. “As Rai’s son Niraj was also found involved in sending the Nepalis to the United States by issuing fake documents of refugees, the Kathmandu District Court issued the arrest warrant,” he said. He said that Niraj is on the run. Rai, security advisor of former Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa, was arrested from Sunakothi, Lalitpur on Tuesday morning. Earlier, police had apprehended Keshav Dulal, Tanka Kumar Gurung, Sanu Bhattarai and Sagar Rai involved in the same incident.  

Riding on the half-century of Gulsan Jha, hosts Nepal defeated the UAE by seven wickets in the final match of the ACC Men’s Premier Cup on Tuesday. With the win, Nepal have been qualified for the Asia Cup to be held in Pakistan in September. Winning the toss, Nepal invited the UAE to bat first. The UAE scored 117 runs losing all the wickets in 33.1 overs in the match played at the TU Ground in Kirtipur. Set 118 to win, Nepal achieved the target in 30. 3 overs at the cost of just three wickets. Jha scored unbeaten 67 runs off 84 balls hitting three boundaries and six sixes. Similarly, Bhim Sarki scored unbeaten 36 runs with four boundaries. Rohan Mustafa of the UAE took two wickets. Likewise, Aayan Afzal Khan claimed one wicket. Lalit Rajbasni claimed four wickets for Nepal. Similarly, Karan KC and Sandeep Lamichhane took two wickets each and Gaulsan Jha and Sompal Kami claimed one wicket each. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal congratulated the Nepali cricket team for winning the title of ACC Men's Premier Cup.  

While there has been improvement in the minimum wage compared to the past, still 15.30 percent of the workers still do not receive the prescribed minimum wage. The Labor Audit carried out by the General Federation of Nepalese Trade Unions (Gefont) shows the issue of minimum wage still persists but compared to 2018, the number of workers who do not get the minimum wage has decreased. As per the Gefont Labor Audit, the trend of hiring trainee workers by industrial establishments is increasing. "Industrial establishments have been using 21 percent of trainee workers but they are not classified as the workers. This shows that a new form of labor exploitation is developing with more use of trainee workers," reads the report. Of the 145 industrial establishments included in the labor audit, 65 percent are registered at the contribution-based Social Security Fund. However, only 56 percent of them have been depositing money from their workers in the fund. The report also shows a rise in the number of Indian and other foreign workers in Nepal. According to the report, around 20 percent of industrial establishments have employed Indian and foreign workers. "Of them, 80 percent have not obtained official labor permits to employ foreign workers," said the report. When employing foreign nationals, a labor permit must be obtained from the Department of Labor and Occupational Safety. Even when Indian workers, who do not require labor permits to work in Nepal, are hired, they must be documented in the labor department. The report states that the companies did not follow the said policy. According to the report, the number of industrial establishments paying regular salaries has declined. Only 70.5 percent of industrial establishments are paying salaries within one month in 2022 compared to 83 percent in 2018. The report says the employers have not paid much attention to the medical insurance and accident insurance of their workers. According to the Labor Act, the employer has to provide medical treatment insurance of Rs 100,000 and accident insurance of Rs 700,000 for each worker. Of the industrial establishments included in the Labor Audit, only 44.75 percent of the industries have provided medical treatment insurance for workers and 40.45 percent have provided workers' accident insurance. While more industries are employing workers by signing formal labor contracts, the trend of using workers without labor contracts still continues. According to the report, 69.93 percent of establishments have labor contracts with workers. Only 55.93 percent of the companies used to employ workers through labor contracts in 2018. According to Gefont Vice President Ramesh Badal, the audit has highlighted that the overall implementation aspect of the service facilities provided to the workers as per the Labor Act is weak. "Workers have received minimum wages in the industries where there is a labor union," said Badal, adding, "Still 15.30 percent have not received the minimum wage which is sad."